


people will say we're in love

by reindeerjumper



Series: in for a penny, in for a pound [3]
Category: Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, MFMM Year of Tropes, Secret Marriage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-14
Updated: 2017-11-14
Packaged: 2019-02-02 04:32:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,641
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12719730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reindeerjumper/pseuds/reindeerjumper
Summary: Jack & Phryne have a secret, but it isn't bothering either of them. In fact, they find the whole thing quite thrilling.





	people will say we're in love

**Author's Note:**

> My first MFMM Year of Tropes fic! An installment in my [in for a penny, in for a pound](http://archiveofourown.org/series/851391) series. It isn't crucial to read the other pieces, but it may give you a better idea of where my mind was when writing this :)

Phryne walked across the beach, watching the sun slowly sinking below the horizon line. The sky was illuminated with pinks and dying blues, and just a few yards in front of her, she could make out the silhouette of Jack Robinson.

She smiled to herself, listening to the fading sounds of the party behind her and focusing on the man in front of her. Jack was facing the ocean, his feet in the surf and his hands in his pockets. She could see that he had rolled both pant legs up, and his shoes and socks sat on the beach a reasonable distance from the rising tide. His appearance was far from the formal inspector’s that she had fallen in love with--instead of his three-piece suit and sharp fedora, he was in a pair of casual khaki trousers and a simple white button-down.

As she got closer to the water’s edge, the sound of the festivities behind her was completely drowned out by the sound of the ocean. It was almost deafening, the way the waves crashed on the sand, and the wind that was whipping down the beach forced her to pull the shawl she was wearing around her shoulders just a bit closer. 

Before she reached him, Jack turned towards her as if he knew she was standing there. Then again, he probably did know, some weird sixth sense that made him as adept as he was at his job. As his gaze fell on her, the neutral expression he had been wearing bloomed into a smile that deepened every crevice of his face. She smiled back--how could she not?--and slotted herself under his outstretched arm. 

“Hello, Inspector,” she said, gazing up at him as she rested one of her hands on the small bit of skin that peeked out of his unbuttoned collar.

“Miss Fisher,” he replied. He smiled down at her before pressing his lips against her temple. 

Phryne looked up at him, her eyes drinking in the sight of him. They had been living in Frankston for years, the domesticity of their new partnership eventually becoming second nature. How she felt about Jack was light years beyond what she ever anticipated for herself after Renè. It was light years beyond what she felt for Renè in general, or any man if she were to be honest.

Phryne melted in a bit closer to Jack as he tightened his grip around her. She slinked an arm around his waist, feeling the warmth of his skin through the fabric of his shirt. Somewhere above her head, she felt Jack turn back towards the raucous group of partygoers. Phryne pivoted towards where Jack’s gaze now lingered, and she couldn’t help smiling.

Further up the beach, Phryne and Jack watched their guests as they laughed and danced. Several wooden pallets were lined up on the sand, serving as a table for the dinner they had just finished. Phryne and Dot had dragged several large cushions and pillows from the cottage across the street, and they were now being lounged on by sated guests. They could see Dot in the distance, walking down the length of the table with a box of matches in her hand--she was lighting the candles in the lanterns that sat on the table and in the sand, illuminating the game of tag that Dot and Hugh’s children were now playing. Off to the side sat Phryne’s old gramophone, warbling off a Gershwin tune. 

“Funny how they’re all here and have no idea why,” Jack murmured. 

Phryne hummed in agreement, lifting her hand to squeeze Jack’s hand that sat on her shoulder. She was now watching Mac lift an incredibly full wine glass into the air and gesticulating wildly as she regaled Jane and her friend Eloise with one of her stories. Bert and Cec were helping fix one of the Collins’ boy’s kites, Cec tangled in string while Bert stood over him and barked orders. She could see Cec occasionally give Bert a dirty look over his shoulder, and she couldn’t help laughing. 

Further down the table, Mr. and Mrs. Butler were sitting next to each other with a comfortable ease as they spoke to Hugh. Hugh had his and Dot’s youngest on his lap, an energetic ball of fury that had finally collapsed from exhaustion in her father’s arms. Phryne watched lovingly as Dot came around the table and nestled herself against Hugh. His arm came up instinctively, wrapping itself around Dot and pulling her in closely. Even at this distance, Phryne could see the smug smile on Dot’s face. 

“Here we are, married for ten years, and not a single one of them knows.”

At this, Phryne turned towards Jack and grinned. 

“Isn’t it thrilling, to have kept it a secret for this long?” she said. 

Jack’s infamous half-smile told her that he agreed. Neither of them could believe it had been ten years. They had discussed it earlier that day over tea and scones, sitting on their balcony and watching the tide roll in across the street as the warm ocean breeze ruffled the ends of their hair. 

The wedding had been very quick, very spur-of-the-moment,  _ very _ Phryne Fisher. She had woken up one morning after living with Jack for months in Frankston and decided that she wanted to marry him. Jack, not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth, quickly agreed and they were at the courthouse less than a day later. 

As they had left the courthouse, Phryne had looked at Jack earnestly and said, “Let’s keep this a secret. It can belong to just you and I, our own little clandestine affair.”

“Only you would think of marriage as clandestine,” he had replied before dipping down and claiming her mouth with his.

Phryne smiled now, thinking of the moment. She loved a challenge, and keeping her union to Jack a secret had been the greatest challenge of all. Some days she woke up and wanted to shout it from the rooftops, just from the overwhelming sense of love and admiration she had for him. 

But ten years was a long time to harbor a secret, and she was no quitter. 

“Ten whole years, Jack,” she said, gazing up at him. He smiled fondly down at her, the dimple in his cheek begging to be kissed. Going up on her tiptoes, Phryne pressed a kiss to the exact spot where his cheek began to divot, and she felt his smile widen against her lips.

“Speaking of, I got you something,” he said. Pulling his arm from around her shoulders, he began to forage in his pocket. Phryne watched with interest as he presented her with a small velvet box. “I know it’s a little belated, but I thought that it might be nice to commemorate the occasion.” 

Gently, Phryne took the box from Jack and gave him a smirk before opening it. He was now standing with his hands in his trouser pockets, his face neutral but his eyes sparkling. Phryne opened the lid carefully, eyeing the swirling tide around her ankles with a hint of menace. Not even the ocean would attempt to thwart Phryne Fisher.

Inside the box, on full display, sat a beautiful emerald ring. It was oval cut with small diamonds around the edge of it, set in gold. Phryne allowed her eyes to meet Jack’s over the box, and he was now smirking at her in his infuriatingly cute way. 

“Well?” he said, rocking slightly with his hands still jammed in his pockets.

“Jack, this is too much.”

“I knew you’d say that. It isn’t too much, Phryne. I can think of a multitude of things that are ‘too much’--the first being you--but this ring isn’t. I never properly gave you a ring, and this one seemed to fit you best. It isn’t traditional, it isn’t typical, but it’s beautiful, just like you.”

Phryne looked at Jack, emotion caught in her throat. She smiled at him, blinking back tears as she held the ring in her fingers.

“Here, let me,” he said softly, taking the box from her hand and stowing it back in his trouser pocket. He grabbed her left hand and slid the ring onto her finger, nestling is against her knuckle before bringing the back of her hand to his lips and pressing a kiss right above the ring.

“Thank you,” she whispered. She looked down at her hand where the ring now sat, and something she had never experienced before stirred in her chest. The tears she had been fighting against finally started to spill over her lashes, and she rocketed herself into Jack’s arms. He caught her with a soft  _ oof _ as his arms embraced her. She could feel him kissing the tears away on her cheek as he laughed. 

“Well, Mrs. Robinson? Shall we head back to our guests?” he said, pulling back to lift her chin up with his pointer finger.

Phryne nodded with a sniff. “That sounds wonderful, Mr. Robinson.”

Jack laughed low in his throat as he put his hand on her hip. They walked out of the surf and back onto the sand, their arms around each other’s waists and Phryne’s head on Jack’s shoulder. Jack paused to stoop down and grab his shoes before standing back up. When he went to grab Phryne, though, she was gone. 

Bewildered, he looked towards the party and saw Phryne running towards their guests. She glanced over her shoulder at him, her face lit up by a megawatt smile as she laughed loudly. 

“Come after me, Jack Robinson!” she called out, holding her shawl out behind her like some kind of superhero’s cape.

Unable to ever refuse her anything, Jack shook his head with fond exasperation before tearing off after her. 

**Author's Note:**

> These two make me crave visuals and apparently write flowery prose, so I made another mood board for this fic! Can be found on my [tumblr](http://hisreindeerjumper.tumblr.com/post/167472831610/people-will-say-were-in-love-summary-jack)!


End file.
